Fall with Grace
by Hopeakaarme
Summary: Losing is never fun. Losing against someone you thought you would definitely win is even less fun. Shounenai IzumiFukawa, mentioned shounenai MomoKai.


Disclaimer: I own very little.

A/N: Anybody remember Izumi and Fukawa? Right. Me neither. Until I was requested to write something about them. So, here they are -- the doubles pair who played against Momo and Ryoma.

* * *

Fall with Grace

* * *

Of course, they remembered Momoshiro. It had been such a shame to lose to somebody so clearly inexperienced in doubles, they were not about to forget their loss. Next time, they had been sure, next time they would beat him. 

Who would have known that, by the time they next went against him, he would be one half of Seigaku's current star doubles team, never mind the team's captain?

Seeing a pair of first-year twins beat their doubles two team didn't exactly encourage the Gyokurin team. Izumi hadn't thought there were people like that outside manga and anime, really. The two even completed each other's sentences occasionally. It was beyond strange; it was downright creepy.

However, even the first-years would have been better than this. "This" being somebody they had thought to be absolutely incompetent suddenly pulling nigh perfect doubles partnership with somebody he fought with practically all the time.

It shouldn't have worked. It wasn't supposed to work that way, not when they fought so much. Nevertheless, Momoshiro and Kaidou were leading with apparently very little effort.

Of course, one could expect nothing less of the captain and vice-captain of last year's victorious Nationals team. They were supposed to play well. And Kaidou was well known for his doubles skills by now, even if he was very selective about his partners. But Momoshiro… the ah-un guy they had first played against should have never been able to pull off this kind of doubles.

Nevertheless, he did. And Gyokurin was losing, again.

They weren't about to just give up, of course. Even if they were indeed losing they would keep on fighting until they lost, however miserable their loss might have been. Nothing could have been more shameful than losing just because they lost their will to fight.

Naturally, this was only until Fukawa discovered first hand the dangers of accidentally receiving a power player's shot with your head instead of your racquet.

* * *

"I don't believe this," muttered Fukawa, touching carefully the bandage on his forehead. He was sitting in front of his partner, frowning. "Having to forfeit due to injury!" 

"Well, head injuries must be taken seriously," Izumi pointed out, neglecting to mention the times he had heard of when Seigaku players had continued playing despite being practically bathed in blood. At the moment the only thing he could think of was the dreadful feeling of helplessness and fear that had flashed through him on the instant he saw his partner flung to the ground.

"And then it turned out to be just a scratch," Fukawa replied. Leaning back against Izumi's chest, he asked, "How dirty did I get my hair?"

Izumi carefully took the thin band off, releasing the dark locks from their usual ponytail. Running his fingers through the other's hair, he grimaced as he found it stuck to dirty knots every here and there. "There's a lot of dried blood here," he said. "It'll take quite some washing to get it clean."

"Damn," sighed Fukawa, hanging his head. "As though it isn't enough they knock me out."

"Well, think positively," Izumi said as happily as he could, trying his best to ignore the bandage on the other's forehead. "If that shot had made a cut on your scalp instead, some of your hair might have had to be shaved to treat the wound."

"Gods forbid." Fukawa grimaced. "I'd look dreadful."

Running a light hand over Fukawa's head, Izumi shrugged. "I'm sure you wouldn't," he said. "You couldn't look dreadful if you tried."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," Fukawa sighed. "Damn that Momoshiro. Couldn't he use a bit less power?"

"Well, there's a reason why he's one of the most remarkable power players, nowadays," Izumi pointed out with a slight grin. "And I'm not just saying it, I really do think so."

"I could too, stupid." Fukawa batted him lightly on the arm.

Izumi laughed, wrapping his arms around the other boy. "Even if you did, it would be my duty to say otherwise," he said. "I wouldn't be much of a boyfriend otherwise, now would I?"

"I hope you didn't say anything embarrassing like that when I was unconscious," Fukawa muttered. "It was bad enough that you tried to hug me when I woke up."

"Not me, no," Izumi replied. "As for the Seigaku guys… well, I'm fairly sure I heard Kaidou telling Momoshiro to forget about their date if he can't control his strength at all."

"Huh?" Fukawa turned half around in his arms, looking at him with a surprised expression. "They're going out?"

"So it certainly seems." Izumi snorted. "Though that's probably the only reason Momoshiro didn't keep running into his partner."

Fukawa smiled a little. "It's not just that and you know it," he said. "He's really learnt to play doubles – though how that happened, I don't know."

"Well, whatever." Izumi smiled back. "They may have won, but that doesn't change the fact that you're the best doubles partner ever."

"You'd better believe that." Fukawa grinned, now. "…You know, I think I'm too tired to wash the blood out of my hair."

"Hm, what a pity," Izumi replied. "Your parents are out for the day, right?"

"Yes, they are," Fukawa replied, a hand touching the other's arm. "Think you could help me?"

"Well, that's a difficult question," Izumi chuckled. "But, you know… anything for a doubles partner."

"That's good to hear." Fukawa smirked. "Because I'd hate to think you'd do it for anyone else…"

"Oh, no fear of that." And, to prevent any further comments, Izumi kissed him.

Sometimes, he thought, losing wasn't an entirely bad thing.


End file.
